Thematic Analysis Essay 3
Kion Bolden
BIBL 364-C02 – Acts
(Fall 2019)
October 29, 2019
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Jesus’ apostolic commissioning words to the disciples just before his ascension, “and you
will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth
(Acts 1:8 NIV)” are congruently consistent in what Ger calls the “third and final section of
Acts.”1 While the first half of the narrative was spent evangelizing mainly to the Jewish
community within the borders of Israel, the disciples are now given directives to venture beyond
their usual boundaries that includes “Jerusalem, extends through the rest of Israel, Judea and
Samaria, and eventually reaches "the ends of" or "the remotest part" of the earth.”2 Thus, this
charge was to geographically advance the Gentile community under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit. Hence, after Saul divorced his former identity to claim the name Paul was then appointed
by Jesus to lead the mission to witness the Gospel to the Gentiles. In Luke’s account of Acts 13,
Paul heads to “the uttermost parts of the earth,”3 which Pratte extensively presents in his
commentaries. In the book of Acts 1:8 to Acts 13:1-28, the apostles as instructed by the Jesus
leave Jerusalem after forty (40) days and embark on a mission to spread the Gospel. Likewise,
Peter preaches from Solomon Colonnade, Stephen suffers Martyrdom, Phillip gives witness
testimony to the Samaritans, and Paul converts to Christianity.
Paul and Barnabas were “separated for a special work”4 by the Holy Spirit. Scriptures tell
us that these two prophets along with John ventured into “Seleucia and sailed from there to
Cyprus. (Acts 13:4 NIV)” When they reached Salamis they preached the Gospel in Jewish
synagogues. They preached throughout “the whole island until they came to Paphos. (vs.6)
Given that the reception of the Gospel would best be received by the Jews, Paul and Barnabas
1 Steven Ger (2018). (p. 185). Acts: Witnesses to the World. Retrieved from https://app.wordsearchbible.com
2 IBID, p. 25
3 Pratte, David E. Commentary on the Book of Acts: Bible Study Notes and Comments. David, E. Pratte, 2013.
4 IBID, p. 214
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sought then out. Hence why their first stops were to the synagogues. Pratte adds that “this had
nothing to do with keeping the Jewish Sabbath, as some claim. It was simply the best opportunity
to find people who would listen to the gospel.”5 Greeted with opposition in Sergius Paulus, “a
Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus” (vs.6) was stricken with blindness because
of his attempt to prevent the prophets from teaching. As a result, “the proconsul saw what had
happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord. (vs.12)” From there
Paul and the apostles sailed to Perga in Pamphylia and then to Antioch of Pisidia. It is here
where Paul preached to the Jews. Afterwards they preached in Iconium (14:1-6), in Lystra where
Paul healed a lame man and was later stoned. Then Paul and Barnabas were led back to
Jerusalem to address the misconception of the necessity of circumcision to acquire salvation. In
the 15th chapter, a meeting is called for the Apostles and Elders of the church. There Peter
reminds the masses of the revelation God gave as it relates to the conversion of the Gentiles.
Consequently, God gave the Gentiles the Holy Spirit and purified their hearts. Chapter 16,
records the journey of Paul and Silas “through Syria (where Antioch was) and Cilicia, the region
including Lystra and Derbe”6 Thereafter, they ventured through Macedonia where they were
forbidden to preach in Asia or Bithynia, and so they traveled to Troas. Later, Paul and his group
sailed to Philippi where they ministered to women at the riverside and the conversion of Lydia
took place. Throughout the book, they travel from Philippi to Thessalonica, from Berea to
Athens, from Corinth, Syria and Ephesus to Phrygia and Galatia, from Malta to Rome.
Luke accounts for several other major themes in his narrative, the first being God’s
extended providence and protection throughout Paul and the apostle’s journey. Consider when
5 IBID, p. 216
6 IBID, p. 262
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Bar-Jesus sought to sway Sergius Paulus against allowing them to preach in Paphos. Paul says to
him, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all
kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the
hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the
light of the sun. (Acts 13:10-11 NIV)” Moreover, Paul was stoned and left for dead, but God
spared him (Acts 14:19, 20). Another theme prevalent in Luke’s account is world missions or the
geographic evolution of the Gospel amongst the Gentiles. Despite his stoning in Lystra, Paul
persisted with proclaiming the Gospel. Thus, the message penetrated into larger Gentile regions
which resulted in hearts of many Jews growing cold. The Jews grew angry as Paul said, “that he
would teach the Gentiles since the Jews had their opportunity and many were not accepting it. In
every city Paul would first give the Jews their chance to hear the truth, then he would teach the
Gentiles.”7 Ger offers, “sharing the gospel with the Jews prior to approaching the Gentiles was a
theological necessity, God’s divinely ordained model (Acts 13:46).”8 Hence the reason he sought
our synagogues upon his arrive in all lands. Nevertheless, Paul and Barnabas preached the
Gospel and salvation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and Pagans.
Paul in his earlier messages targeted those who already steaked belief in God. This
audience already believed that God was the creator and in the sacrificial work of Jesus at
Calvary. However, in his later sermons Paul addressed the Pagans, non-believers and those who
worshipped more than one god. Pagans, unlike Christians worships various idols. Thus, they did
not recognize God as the Supreme Being. Secondly, in Acts 13:16, “Standing up, Paul motioned
with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!” Paul
7 Pratte, David E. Commentary on the Book of Acts: Bible Study Notes and Comments. David, E. Pratte, 2013.
8 Steven Ger (2018). (p. 188). Acts: Witnesses to the World. Retrieved from https://app.wordsearchbible.com
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intended his message to be a declaration or announcement to the believers and the Jews. Yet, his
defenses before Governor Felix, Governor Festus, and King Agrippa 2 was present as if he were
preaching to the pagans. Thus, he understood the variance in the comprehensive levels of both
the Jews and the pagans.
Still, there were a number of connections between Paul’s preaching to the pagans and his
sermon to the Jews. In both cases, Paul decreed salvation to whoever followed the path of
righteousness, and destruction to any who rejected the Gospel. Furthermore, Paul employed a
dialogical tactic with his sermon to both to the Jews and pagans. Thereby, following the
synagogue exemplary of deliberation. This is evident as the bible says, “Paul went into the
synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and
proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. (Acts 17:2-3 NIV)”
In the Book of Acts, there are clear patterns that emerge with regards to the Jewish
response to the witness of Paul. First, because the Jews were against the Gospel being made
available to the Gentiles the Jews rejected everything the apostles said. Despite being sanctioned
by the Holy Spirit and following the commission of Jesus, the Jewish leaders did not want them
to deliver God’s message to the Gentiles. Luke writes:
“When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict
what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him. Then Paul and Barnabas answered them
boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not
consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what
the Lord has commanded us:
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“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the
ends of the earth.” (Acts 13:45-47 NIV)
Secondly, it is clear is that the apostles preached to anyone who listed to them. Upon receiving
the Holy Spirit, Paul and Barnabas straightaway sought to fulfill their mission as shown in Acts
13:4-5. Then, there was a clear pattern between the Gentiles and the Jews in that while the one
group were receptive to the gospel willingly, the others rejected the message. Consequently, the
apostles adopted various approaches each time they stood before different congregations. Lastly,
there was a prevalence of speaking in tongues, which signified that the apostles occasionally
employed interpreters to ensure that their audience could understand the message.
